The Legend of Zelda: Opposition
by DarkFireGeneral
Summary: Nayru created the law, and the law states that all things must have opposition. There is always a force created to balance an action, and generations of heroic actions lead to a great, great evil. Something that none of the past Heroes have ever before faced. What chance, then, do a boy from Ordon Village and his mysterious new friend stand?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tyrone walked through the forgotten halls of the ancient castle. All around him there was death, decay, and corruption. The very smell of the halls was that of death; comparable to the smell one found in burial chambers. The stone was covered with black mosses that had no right to even exist in this world.

But, then again, all things must have their opposites.

Tyrone himself was a 34 year old man who had lived as a farmer for years. His farming had made him strong, though he had no knowledge of combat at all. He was very tan and had sun bleached hair that looked like a very bright yellow color. His eyes, though, were brown. Dark brown. He was well built and tall, pushing six foot three. He lived his life near Kakariko Village, close enough he could get to town for supplies but far enough away that he didn't have many visitors or close friends, though there were many with whom he was friendly. But that was a long time ago.

As Tyrone continued through the ancient castle, surrounded on all sides by stone walls that simply felt evil, he pondered the story that had brought him there. The Sheikah were an ancient race dedicated to protecting the royal family, though they were very small in number. They were also the historians of Hyrule, keeping all of the legends, myths, and stories that had ever passed Hyrule. They had a hidden library that kept a record of everything that could be recorded, or so the legends told. Tyrone wasn't entirely sure that they were true, but he did know that one Sheikah had told a story of opposites. Naryu created the law; that was a common fact. One such law was that all forces have a balancing force; a force equal and opposite in power. Lorule was the balance of Hyrule, with its own Triforce balancing Hyrule's Triforce. Demise was opposite Hylia. All things had their opposites.

It was one of these such opposites that Tyrone was after.

Tyrone continued walking through the dark castle. The walls loomed on either side of him, and he felt like he was walking through a long, narrow corridor, despite the fact that the room he was walking through was over ten meters wide. The dark presence of the walls was so intimidating that he felt surrounded.

Tyrone thought of his family. His wife was killed in a raid by a group of moblins, and his daughter went missing. His poor, sweet daughter. She was only fifteen; old enough to be considered a woman, yet still so young and innocent to the ways of the world. Tyrone needed to get her back. She was still alive, he could feel it. But Tyrone was no warrior. He knew how to hit things and that was about it. Some monsters he could just hit, no problem, but there were many that were far too dangerous for him to face without proper knowledge and equipment. Both of which he was searching for in this dark castle.

The journey itself was harsh; Tyrone had to traverse the Lost Woods and sneak his way past hoards of monsters. Ten darknuts in one field. Ten! He had never heard of so many gathering in one place! It was a good thing they struggled so much to navigate the denser parts of the forest. Not only that, but they seemed to fear the castle Tyrone now wandered. In fact, there were no creatures, monsters or otherwise, that seemed willing to enter the castle. Other than Tyrone. It was funny; he figured that an old abandoned castle would be filled with skulltulas. Skulltulas were fairly easy monsters to deal with; all they took was a good whack to the backside, and all they did was hang there on their webs, occasionally turning around. Easy monsters. Not like darknuts.

Tyrone could see the end of the room. It was strange; there were no candles or any sources of light to be seen. In fact, there seemed to be a strong darkness that perpetuated the room, yet Tyrone could see in the darkness, as if it was lit. It was all very strange, and Tyrone wasn't too sure what to think of it.

There was a single pillar at the end of the room, with writing on it. Tyrone could barely read, and this writing was of some ancient, long dead language. Tyrone studied it, trying to see if by some miracle he could understand the text, but to no avail. Although he could see, the magic allowing that didn't seem to give him the ability to understand dead languages. Tyrone looked away from the pillar and turned his attention to the wall behind it. There was a large indent, large enough that Tyrone could comfortably stand in it. The indent also had writing on it, which seemed to be the same as the kind on the pillar, but Tyrone wasn't sure, since he didn't know what language either of them was. Tyrone looked inside the indent, searching for a button or something that would let him move deeper in. He couldn't find anything.

Tyrone sighed and looked down, discouraged slightly and losing what little hope he had of rescuing his daughter. He noticed something near the base of the pillar. Tyrone approached it and noticed a small button right near the base of the pillar. It was very small, and Tyrone was surprised he even noticed it at all. He wasn't the most observant of fellows. Tyrone pressed the button and a panel slid open behind him. Tyrone walked through into a small room, with the exact same walls as the room before, an entirely empty except for a single pedestal in the center of the room. It drew Tyrone's attention right to it. The pedestal itself was nothing special. It was made of the same stone as everything else around it. What was special was the sword in the middle of it. The sword had a red hilt with a cross guard that extended out to the side a ways, then made a diagonal turn towards the handle. The blade was completely black, and seemed to radiate some kind of anti-light. It was rather terrifying, but it was the reason Tyrone had come to the dark castle in the first place.

Tyrone had heard stories of a legendary sword used by heroes in ages past. It was even used to defeat Ganondorf, several times. Pity it wasn't a permanent defeat, but it had worked for a time. Tyrone knew little of the sword in legend, but it was a magical sword, and therefore must have had some kind of balance. Tyrone only knew that ancient heroes used this other sword, and he was no hero. However, its balance was probably able to be used by anyone. After all, the opposite of a hero was a normal person, right? So Tyrone had sought out this sword, hoping to use it to find and save his only daughter. He loved her, loved her so much, and he needed her back. He was willing to do anything to get her back.

Tyrone approached the sword and reached out to grab it. As soon as his hand touched the hilt he felt a sharp pain tear through his body. He opened his mouth and screamed in pain. Visions began flashing before his eyes; visions of blood, death, pain, and, above all else, evil. He dropped to his knees. He suddenly knew what the writing on the pillar and wall had said. The pillar said "Whosoever seeks this cursed power shall know only pain, and only sorrow. Turn back now." The wall had said "The Usurper Sword can never be set free. The death and destruction that will follow shall all but consume the world. Oh thou foolish traveler, turn back now, before the sword destroys you. None can wield its awful power."

Tyrone had made a huge mistake. He had unknowingly grabbed a sword of evil, and he could feel its malice entering his own body. _My new victim_ a voice said in Tyrone's mind. Tyrone knew it was the sword. _At long last, my reign of blood and horror shall begin.  
_

* * *

Kel the darknut was just returning to the field he had been stationed in not too long ago. He had tried to hunt down some creature, but it had escaped into the forest, heading towards the dark temple. Kel didn't know much about anything other than fighting, but he knew to stay away from the dark temple. Something very bad was there. Something he didn't want anything to do with. It had taken Kel a lot longer than the other darknuts to get back to the field, but that was because Kel had gone the farthest in. He had just returned to the field and was about to return to his post when he saw one of the other darknuts fall to the ground and explode into a pile of dust. When the dust settled Kel saw a man. The man was big and had scary black hair and evil red eyes. He had a wicked grin pasted onto his face and was holding a long sword with a black blade and red hilt. Kel immediately prepared himself for combat, along with the other eight remaining darknuts. The man was unfazed. He held his sword and attacked one of the other darknuts.

Kel was smart enough to know that he shouldn't get too close to the other darknut or else he'd get in his way, but he got close enough to be able to attack the man when he got a chance. He never did.

The man, the little human man, fought with a skill Kel had never before seen. The man was able to take down five darknuts in a matter of seconds. Kel had never before seen such a feat. The man was dueling with Kel and three other darknuts, all at the same time, and was laughing. He wasn't struggling at all, but was enjoying the fight. In fact, Kel felt like the man was toying with them. Darknuts were known for being among the most powerful, skilled, and dangerous monsters out there, yet this man was effortlessly fighting five of them at once!

He seemed to grow bored and slashed out against one of the darknuts. The blade cut right through its armor, killing it. The man then spun around, and Kel felt pain slice right through his abdomen. He glanced down and saw that he had been cut clean in half. Kel looked up, and right before turning to dust saw the man grin, and heard him say "Let the reign of the Usurper begin."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Link was a young man, twenty years old, who lived in Ordon Village. He was tall, lean, and muscular. Many of the girls liked him; his blue eyes and blonde hair attracted them to him, and his lean and muscular body kept them around. His personality was also a major factor; he was known as the most selfless person in the village. He worked as a goat herder, something his muscles helped with quite a bit, but he frequently took time to help the other villagers, though he never asked for help himself.

Link was busy helping one of the older villagers move a barrel of jelly into his house. The old man lived on the top of a large hill, which was a great location when he was younger and could easily make the climb, but more difficult as he aged. Still, the old man refused to move; the view was too beautiful for him to give up. Link had just gotten the barrel to the top of the hill, and only had to move it a few more feet to make it to the door.

Link took a deep breath and prepared to push the barrel the rest of the way when he heard a scream come from down below. Link paused, and turned towards the source of the scream.

"Well, that sounds bad," the old man said. "You'd better head down there and see what's going on. I can carry the barrel the rest of the way."

Link nodded to the old man before running down the hill, all fatigue from carrying that barrel gone. The scream came from the center of the village, and Link saw a crowd beginning to gather. He made it to the edge of the crowd before stopping and carefully working his way through the crowd. Luckily the villagers all knew how Link was and made a path for him.

Link came through the crowd and saw a young girl, maybe a year older than he was, laying unconscious in the center of the village. The scream came from Maria, a middle aged woman who tended to be rather dramatic. Link relaxed a bit, but not completely. While the scream was almost assuredly exaggerated, the fact remained that there was a young girl unconscious in the middle of Ordon. "What happened here?" Link asked.

Several of the villagers, those who didn't know him as well, gasped at hearing him speak. Link rarely spoke, and because of that some of the villagers thought he was mute. Those he was close to knew better, but it came as a shock to the others. Link ignored them.

"I was just walking home from the bazaar, minding my own business, when suddenly I hear a crack from above. I was terrified, absolutely terrified, but I summoned up all the courage I had and looked up. To my great surprise and shock, I saw this young lady falling from the sky. The very sight of it startled me so much I dropped all of my groceries. She landed in front of me, right where she is now, very nearly crushing me, and I was so startled and scared that all I could do was scream!" Maria said.

Link knew that a lot of her story was exaggerated, but Maria, while known to exaggerate, didn't make stories up. Link took a closer look at the girl. She had dark brown hair that extended to the middle of her back. Her hair was wavy, which was a very rare trait in Hyrule. She was slender, and if Link had to guess he'd say she was roughly five feet and seven inches tall, though it was hard to tell since she was curled up on the ground. She wore a blue sleeveless dress that went down to her ankles, though standing upright Link would say it probably extended just past the knee. Her ears were round, indicating that she wasn't of Hylian descent. She was pretty, though Link believed that the eyes of a person were a major component in their beauty, and her eyes were closed.

"What should we do with her?" Maria asked.

Link thought for a moment before saying "We need to make sure she's okay. Where's the healer?"

The crowd began mumbling before an older man with huge glasses and a strange white coat came running through. "Hello, right here!" he exclaimed.

"Harvin, what's wrong with her?" Link asked.

Harvin, the healer of the town, knelt beside the girl and began examining her. He pulled out various instruments and other assorted...things that Link couldn't even begin to guess the purpose of, but he knew Harvin knew what he was doing. The healer, though a tad odd, had built up an incredible reputation in the village. He had healed people who the rest of the village were convinced were going to die.

After a few minutes of examining the girl, Harvin turned and said "She hit the ground really hard, but for the most part she's okay. She'll need a place to rest, probably for a few days. Maybe a week."

"How long will she be out?" Link asked.

"Eh, I'd guess a few hours. Until sunset, maybe?"

It was midday, so sunset would be a while. "She needs to be somewhere other than the middle of the village," Harvin said. "I'd suggest inside a building, preferably someone's house."

"Well," Maria began dramatically. "I would be willing to house her, but with my family we barely have enough room for our precious puppy. It gets so crowded that I often feel like I can barely move."

"Well, that's not healthy," Marvin said.

"All our extra rooms are full of crops," one villager said.

"If no one else can take her, she can come stay with me," the old man Link had been helping before said. He must have come down to see what was going on. "But if she needs anything from the village it will be difficult for me to get it for her."

"I have room," Link said. The crowd suddenly grew quiet. Link lived a little outside the village; close enough to be easily accessible but far enough to have his privacy. He had lived there with his uncle, but his uncle passed away fifteen years ago. Since then, Link had been on his own. It made sense that he would have space, but the villagers didn't want to mention it themselves. They didn't want to bring up any painful memories.

Marvin, however, had moved in after Link's uncle passed away, and while he knew that no one talked about Link living alone, he didn't know about Link's uncle at all. "That sounds perfect!" Marvin said. "If she's right here in the village she might freak out a bit when she wakes up, and no doubt she'll want some peace and privacy to recover, yet you are close enough to easily come to town and get anything she may need."

"Link," Terrance, Link's boss, came up from the crowd. "Don't worry about work for the next few days. Make sure this girl is alright. I can handle it for a while."

The rest of the crowd murmured in agreement, all agreeing to let Link take care of the mysterious girl who fell from the sky. Link nodded and picked the girl up gently and carried her out of the village to his house.

Link had a fairly large home. His house could easily hold four people, and Link spent such little time there that very little clutter had accumulated. He opened the front door carefully (and with some difficulty) and walked in. The inside of his home had a cooking area, two large bedrooms, a large living space, and a separate area with a toilet. Link also had a well in his front yard, so fresh water was easy to come by. The rooms were "separated" by curtains that had been set up since Link was a child, allowing for some privacy but still being easily accessible. Link set aside a curtain that led to the spare bedroom and gently laid the girl down on his bed. The villagers had all agreed that Link should stay with the girl until she woke up, but Link had no idea what to do until then. He only knew how to make a simple stew from carrots and potatoes, and it wasn't the most exciting thing. There was an old storage area that his uncle kept some things in, and since his death Link hasn't been in there. Link decided that it was worth investigating the area. After all, there might be something of use in there.

There was a ladder near the back of the cooking area that led down to the storage area. Link climbed down the ladder and entered the dark room. It was spacious, Link could tell that without needing to see. Link went back up and grabbed his lantern before heading back down to explore the area. He lit his lantern and saw that, for the most part, the area was fairly empty. There were some jars that seemed to hold jelly; Ordon Village wasn't too far from a field inhabited by Chu-Chus. The Chu-Chus very, very rarely entered Ordon Village; the large population scared them away. Some of the villagers, however, often went there to gather some Chu jelly and brought it back. Chu jelly could be made into potions, but since Marvin moved into the village there had been no real reason to make potions, so the jelly was instead refined into food.

Link continued to look around. There was a chest against one wall that Link opened. It held a purple Rupee. Link pocketed the money; it would definitely come in handy later. Link kept looking around and saw an old wooden shield. It wasn't too surprising; Link's father had been a soldier before being killed during a war with a neighboring country. Link's mother died in childbirth, so Link never knew his parents.

The shield was old, splintered, and beginning to rot, so it really wasn't good for anything. The item next to it, however, caught Link's attention. His father's sword. Link's uncle taught him a little about swordplay, but Link was only five when he died, so the lessons weren't exactly fresh. Maria's husband was a swordsman once, so he occasionally gave Link lessons, though they weren't a priority. Ordon Village hadn't had any need for warriors since the Twilight incident two hundred years ago. Youths, such as Link, were still given some basic combat training, in case Ordon every got attacked by some monsters or in case the Hylian Royal Army needed to draft some of them, but for the most part combat training wasn't really a thing. Still, Link felt drawn to the sword. He reached out and grabbed it. He pulled the blade out of its sheath and examined it. The crossguard was plain and unadorned. The blade was fairly narrow and roughly two and a half feet long. There was a thin layer of rust along the edges, but nothing Link couldn't get out. Something about the sword felt right.

Link sheathed the sword and, after looking around to see if there was anything else of value, went back up to the cooking area. Link had a whetstone that he used to keep his knife and ax sharp, but he had never sharpened a sword before. He sat down in the living area and began scraping the rust off of the blade. Link figured that a sword was a lot like a big knife, so he began sharpening it like a knife. Before he got too far, however, he felt like he was doing it wrong. He paused to think. A knife was a precise cutting tool, and it needed to be really sharp, but it was rarely, if ever, used with a lot of force. Too much force would break the sharp edge. The knife edge have to be thin to be able to slice through meat and vegetables, but a sword relied more on force to cleave through enemies. Similar to an ax.

Link changed gears and decided to try sharpening the sword like an ax, but almost immediately felt that that was wrong, too. An ax relied too much on force. More weight was behind the blade, so it didn't need to be as sharp as a sword since the weight added force. A sword's weight was more evenly distributed, not focused in one end right behind the blade. The sword needed to be somewhere between a knife and an ax. Link thought about it for a bit and decided on a method. The way he did it felt right to him, so he continued.

It took him over an hour, but Link did eventually sharpen the sword and clean it up. He quickly checked on the girl after he finished and, deciding she would be okay for a while, went outside to test the sword. His uncle had a few training dummies set up and Link had never bothered to get rid of them, so he went over to one of them and tried to remember what little training he had. He remembered that a very basic technique was known as the horizontal slash. He did that a couple of times and, after about three, instinctively did a backhand slash immediately after. He stopped. He was never taught to do that, but it felt right. Link decided to stick with it; his father had been a swordsman, maybe it was in his blood. Link continued trying the horizontal slice and, after feeling that he had that one down, tried something different. A slightly more complicated, yet still rather simple, technique he remembered was called the vertical slice. Link tested this one for a bit and, after trying a few of this, instinctively added in another quick slash. It felt right, so Link continued, not pausing this time. Link knew one other move: the thrust. He began thrusting and, after a few thrusts, felt that a quick backslash was appropriate. He tried it, and it felt right, so he went with it. He continued practicing these few moves, combining a few of them to see what combinations would be good.

After an hour, though to Link it only felt like a few minutes, Link remembered something he had never been taught, but had seen his uncle do a few times. What did his uncle call it? Ah, the spin attack. That one seemed harder, but Link wanted to try it out. He remembered his uncle held out his sword for a few seconds and then spun. Link tried it, but it didn't have quite the same effect as he remembered. Link was willing to admit that it was possible that he simply remembered the attack as being more powerful than it was, since he hadn't seen the technique in over 15 years, but he wanted to try a few more times. Maybe he had to do something to increase the power? Link tried taking those few seconds to build up some strength and energy before releasing. The attack was stronger. Link paused and began to wonder if he could put even more energy into the attack.

Link took a deep breath and braced himself. He began to build up all of his strength and released it in one spin. The resulting attack was by far the strongest attack he had seen, but the strain on his arm and shoulder were severe. He cried out in pain as he spun. When he stopped he grabbed his left shoulder. It was sore, but luckily it didn't seem to be dislocated. Link put his sword in its sheath and walked back inside. His arm was already beginning to feel better, but he wanted to give it some time to recover before straining it again.

Link set the sword against the door and headed to the cooking area. It was getting late, and he needed to eat something, even if it was just boring stew. He had his cooking pot already filled with water, though he wasn't sure how long it had been in there. The water looked clean, so Link decided it was fine. He began chopping up some of the potatoes and carrots, then decided to make some extra since the girl would likely be hungry when she woke up. He tossed the potatoes and carrots into the pot and added some herbs he had gathered up. It wasn't really much of a stew, but it was all Link knew how to make, so it would suffice. He then lit a fire under the pot and waited for the water to boil. It wouldn't take too long; maybe twenty minutes after the water started boiling.

Link took the time he had to reflect on his sword practice. He really enjoyed it. It was enjoyable, and he at least would be able to take on some of the monsters in the forest, which would definitely be helpful. There were lots of plants and herbs in the forest that the villagers loved to have, but because of how dangerous it was they rarely went to get them. Now that Link had a sword, he could go out there and gather some of them. And there was something about using the sword that just felt...right. It was like something deep inside of him resonated with the blade and urged him to use it. He wasn't sure what that was about. Maybe it had something to do with his father being a soldier.

Link was suddenly interrupted by the sound of soft moaning and shuffling coming from the spare bedroom. He got up and went in to check on the girl. She was moving around and moaning a bit. Link approached her and softly asked "Are you okay?"

Her eyes snapped open, and Link saw that they were as blue as his own. "Where-where am I?" she asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The Destroyer, the Sword of Evil's Boon, Deathcaller, the Scourge of the World, the Malice of the Goddesses, the Usurper Sword, all of these were names the evil blade Tyrone now held once was called. Eons ago, back when the Goddess' creation was new and Hylia walked this world there was a great war. There was a war between the demons of hell and the creatures that called the world home. The demons, led by Demise, caused death and destruction to thousands upon thousands of the world's inhabitants. Hylia led the others in a rebellion against the demonic army, but the demons were too strong. So, the lesser Goddess created a sword designed to repel evil. This sword gave her side a huge boost in power, allowing her to take as many survivors as she could and flee to the sky, where the demons couldn't touch them.

Demise, furious at the loss, created a sword designed to oppose the sword created by Hylia, a sword that increased the power of evil rather than weakened and repelled it. Demise and Hylia fought, each with their respective swords, until Demise disarmed Hylia and was about to kill her. Hylia, in desperation, sacrificed her godly form and power and used it to seal the mighty demon king away. The Goddess' army took her sword and brought it with them to the sky, where they placed it in an altar that they had built to honor Hylia. The demons, by contrast, simply fled the area and left their king's sword on the ground.

These swords were incredibly powerful, however, and were, to an extent, sentient. The sword used by Demise himself became angry at its abandonment, and that anger led to hate. The hate and anger built up in the sword until it gained enough power and sentience to become a living being, a demon known as Ghirahim. Ghirahim had only one purpose; to reawaken his master and resume the death and destruction he had previously enjoyed.

Over time, a hero arose to oppose Ghirahim and try to stop him. This hero wielded the Sword of Evil's Bane; the sword used by the Goddess herself, but it had lost much of its power. Ghirahim simply toyed with the hero using the sword, laughing at how weak his opposite had become.

But Ghirahim got cocky, and was defeated by the hero and the weakened sword several times. The hero was able to restore power to his opposite, but Ghirahim still believed he could defeat it if he used his full power. He was wrong.

Ghirahim was defeated yet again by the hero, but not before finally freeing his master. He was returned to sword form and, wielded by his master once again, did battle with the hero and his opposite. But even reunited with his master he still couldn't defeat the hero and his opposite.

His master was destroyed, leaving a curse upon the hero's descendants, but ultimately dying, having his consciousness absorbed into the Sword designed to destroy evil. The destruction of his master damaged both Ghirahim and his opposite, leaving Ghirahim unable to take a living form. He had no choice but to remain as a sword, though he possessed enough power to control anyone who was foolish enough to try to wield him.

The hero left both swords in the care of one of the servants of Hylia, though as the years passed people forgot the stories. Centuries after being defeated, a foolish man tried to wield Ghirahim. Ghirahim was able to take control of the man and cause nearly as much death and destruction as the demon army of old before the man he controlled finally was defeated.

The Sheikah, who were the only ones who knew the true nature of the sword Ghirahim was stuck as, locked it away, preventing another outbreak for some time. Since then, Ghirahim had taken control of three separate men, only to be locked away again. The most recent one was by far the most effective, as no one had found him for millennia. The Sheikah took very careful measures hiding him last time, but even then they weren't good enough. Ghirahim was free once again, free to resume his reign of death and destruction through Tyrone.

Ghirahim stood outside a small village. He had no idea what the name of it was, neither did Tyrone, but it didn't matter. Soon it would be reduced to nothing but ashes. Ghirahim had created a couple of monsters to guard the exits, but chose to destroy this village alone. After all, it was the first one he got to destroy in millennia. Ghirahim walked into the village, sword drawn and looked around. There were a few people wandering about, and no one paid him any heed. There weren't too many buildings; just a few houses, a shop, and a large textile mill in the center. Ghirahim glanced at a young boy playing with a dog. Faster than the eye could see, he lunged at the boy, thrusting his blade through his chest. The boy screamed in pain while Ghirahim laughed as blood poured out of the wound, dripping from the black blade. The dog started barking, so Ghirahim kicked it in the face, knocking its head clean off of its body. The villagers finally took notice and began to panic. Well, a few vomited in disgust and one or two fainted, but the rest began to panic. Ghirahim began laughing as he slaughtered people left and right, blood spraying everywhere. After a bit of time the blood began to form a mist in the air. Ghirahim continued to kill everyone he could. Many times a single cut from the Usurper Sword was enough to kill. The evil of the sword corrupted and began rotting some of the more righteous people on contact. Ghirahim slaughtered everyone he could find, be it man, woman, or child. None were spared from the fury of his blade. Ghirahim also made sure to destroy all of the buildings, setting fire to some and collapsing others. Within a half hour the entire village was in flames, and all its inhabitants were dead. Ghirahim looked at his handiwork and grinned. It felt so good to be able to see such destruction again. Ghirahim turned around and walked out of the village, ready to find the next one.

* * *

"Captain, our scouts just delivered an urgent message from Kulon Village," Smith, one of the castle's guards, said.

The Captain was a big, well built man. He came from a long line of soldiers, and was named after one of his ancestors, Rusl. "Well, don't just stand there, give it to me!"

Smith nodded and handed Captain Rusl a letter. It read: 'Captain, we were patrolling the southwestern area, near the woods, when we saw smoke coming from the direction of Kulon Village. We ran to investigate it, and saw that it had been completely destroyed. We quickly went to search for any survivors, but found none. There was a horrible mess everywhere; bodies scattered throughout the village of men, women, and even children. The blood had stained most of the land. Many of the building were on fire, and the rest were reduced to rubble. Nothing was spared. We investigated the bodies to try and identify what had caused this, and found that every single body had similar types of wounds. Many were stab wounds, and there were a fair number of cut wounds as well, all seeming to be from the same sword. The strangest thing we noticed, though, was that some of these wounds were blackened and rotting, as if they had been infected for weeks, yet the evidence suggests that this massacre occurred a mere few hours before we arrived. We also searched for footprint, and could find nothing out of the ordinary. If this was the work of a monster, the monster never touched the ground. We will continue our search and report back to you if we find anything.'

Rusl swore when he finished the letter and turned to Smith. "Kulon Village has been destroyed," he said. "Gather the troops together for a briefing in one hour."

"What will you do until then, sir?" Smith asked. With most captains it was dangerous to ask that question; many of them didn't like to have their actions questioned and viewed it as a form of rebellion, but Rusl was very straightforward and didn't bother playing any of the power games. He was captain because he was one of the best, and if anyone thought they could do better then they were invited to try. Several did when Rusl first became captain, but they were all beaten, and no one has questioned his leadership in years.

"I'm going to find the princess and tell her some bastard has been running around slaughtering her people, and then I'm going to prepare us to send him down to hell!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Take it easy," Link softly said as the girl tried to sit up. She ignored him, but grunted in pain and collapsed back onto the bed.

"Where am I?" she asked again.

"You're in my house, just outside of Ordon Village," Link replied.

"Ordon? Where's that?"

Link frowned a bit. Sure, Ordon was a very small village, but most people south of Hyrule Castle knew about it; it was the birthplace of the Hero of Twilight. "Ordon's a small village in the forest south of Castle Town," Link replied.

"Castle Town, so I'm still in Hyrule, right?" the girl asked.

Link nodded slowly, somewhat confused. Hyrule was big, and the neighboring countries were very far from Ordon Village.

The girl, however, visibly relaxed. "Thank goodness," she said.

"What's your name?" Link asked.

"I'm Tali," the girl replied. "Um, how did I get here?"

Link shrugged. "You fell out of the sky in the middle of our village. I brought you here to rest."

"Oh," Tali said. "That was kind of you. Thank you."

Link shrugged. While he was curious as to why Tali had fallen from the sky, he wasn't one to pry. And he knew that she needed to rest, and was reluctant to push her into answering questions she may not want to answer. For now, at least.

But Link was determined to get some information about his sudden housemate. "Where are you from?" he asked.

Tali paused for a moment before answering. "I'm from a town called Outset Village. It's up by the northern border of Hyrule."

Link had never heard of it, but he knew very little about the smaller towns and villages in Hyrule, especially the ones north of Castle Town. Link knew about Castle Town, though he had never been, and Kakariko Village, which he had visited a couple times when he was very young.

"Wait," Tali said. "Ordon is where the Hero of Twilight was born, right?"

Link nodded. Tali's eyes widened. "That's so cool! The Hero saved my great-grandmother."

"We tell stories in his honor," Link said. "His legacy isn't forgotten."

Tali grinned and then closed her eyes. Link decided to let her rest and return to his stew.

The pot had been boiling for a while now, and the stew was nearly done. It was a very simple stew, but it was better than nothing.

After a few minutes of waiting Link took the pot off the fire and set it aside to cool. He had made plenty, so Tali could have some if she wanted. Link wasn't sure if he should make her eat or let her decide; he didn't know a lot about medicine, so he wasn't sure if she should eat or rest. Link then decided that with Tali having regained consciousness that he should let Harvin know and see if the healer wanted to do anything.

Link stood up, put the fire out, and went in to check on Tali. She was still asleep, so Link grabbed some parchment and scribbled a quick note on it. He left it near the bed in case Tali woke up before he got back. Link then turned around and left his house.

Link wasn't too sure what Harvin did in his spare time, though he suspected it involved medicinal...stuff that Link wouldn't be able to understand. Link walked through the village, asking the villagers where Harvin was. Most of them didn't know, but one villager finally pointed him in the right direction. Harvin was apparently by the lake studying something with the fish.

Link approached Harvin, who had a fish in his hands and was muttering something under his breath as he stared at it. "Harvin," Link said.

Harvin turned around, saw Link, and gently put the fish back in the lake. Link thought about asking what Harvin was doing with the fish, but then almost immediately decided against it. He wouldn't understand what Harvin said.

"Link, how's the girl doing?" Harvin asked.

"She woke up not too long ago," Link replied. "She didn't say a lot, other than that she's from a place called Outset Village."

"Outset, you say?" Harvin asked. Link nodded. "Huh. Neat little village, up kind of near Snowpeak. I lived there for a few years, when I was younger. Wonderful soups and stews."

"I came to ask if there was anything you think we should do now that she's awake," Link stated, snapping Harvin out of his daydreaming.

"Oh, no, just let her rest. I suspect the villagers will want some answers, so I suggest you figure out as much about how she got here as you can. It wouldn't do her much good to be pestered by the villagers. No, no, much better if you find out what you can and tell them yourself. But don't push too hard, and it would probably be best to wait until tomorrow," Harvin said.

Link thanked Harvin and returned to his home. It didn't take long to get back, and Tali was still asleep when he did. Link grabbed the note he had left and threw it away. No point in confusing the girl when she did wake up.

Link went over to the pot of stew he had made. It had cooled down quite a bit, but it was still warm, especially after he stirred it a bit. Link scooped some into a bowl and quickly ate it. It was very plain, but it was filling, and that was good enough for Link.

Link sat down near a window and watched the sun begin to set. He was normally working at the ranch at sunset, and rarely got a chance to just watch and enjoy it. It was beautiful. The sky was all shades of orange with some purples mixed in.

After the sun set Link decided it was time for him to go to bed. He went in to quickly check on Tali. She was still asleep. Deciding that she would be fine until morning, Link retired to his own room and plopped down to sleep.

 _There was a thick mist covering everything. Nothing could be seen on the horizon. In the mist stood two figures, both appearing to be mere silhouettes in the fog._

 _"Well, what do you think?" came a voice from one._

 _"He'll do," the other replied._

 _"He'll do? Wow, there's just no pleasing you is there?"_

 _"We have a crisis on our hands. This threat makes Ganondorf look like a common moblin," the fsecond said._

 _"Yeah, well, I think this one is an excellent candidate for the new Hero," the first retorted. "He'll do just fine."_

 _"I think you're underestimating our enemy. A farm boy who knows nothing about war needs to become stronger than either of us ever were if Hyrule is to survive."_

 _"It's been done before, and it will be done again. Farore has always looked after the Heroes, why should this be any different?"_

 _"Farore's blessing may not be enough for this enemy..."_

The light of the sun shined into Link's closed eyes, but it was enough to wake him. The strange dream he had was quickly fading from his memory, and he put no thought into it. Rather, Link got up and splashed some water from the water basin he kept in his bedroom onto his face. Link then went to check on Tali, who was still asleep. Link didn't know much about medicine, but he did know that too much sleep wasn't good, and that she needed to eat something. Link went over and shook her shoulder to wake her up. She opened her eyes suddenly and jolted up before collapsing back into the bed, groaning in pain. She glanced around for a moment, fear in her eyes. After a moment, though, she seemed to remember where she was and calmed down.

"Morning," Link said.

"Ugh, morning," Tali replied groggily.

"Sorry for waking you, but you need to eat."

Tali yawned and nodded. "Yeah, food." She tried to sit up, more slowly than before. She grunted and groaned a few times from the pain, but eventually managed to sit up.

"Ow, my whole body aches," Tali complained.

"You fell from the sky," Link stated. "You're probably going to be very sore for a while."

Tali let out a small sigh before trying to stand up. She winced as she moved her feet to the side of the bed. She lowered one foot to the floor and, as soon as she tried to put some weight on it, stumbled and started to fall. Luckily Link was able to catch her before she hit the ground and help her back onto the bed.

"Sorry," Tali said.

"You're still hurt," Link said. "Stay here. I can bring you something to eat."

Tali nodded. Link went to heat up the leftover stew from the day before and got her a bowl of it. "It's not much," Link said, giving her the bowl.

Tali thanked him and ate the stew. She finished it quickly and set the bowl aside.

Link knew he needed to ask about how she got there, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing that. "Tali," Link said. She looked at him at the mention of her name. "The villagers are going to ask questions about you, and I think it'd be best if I knew what happened before they start asking."

Tali sighed. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Link nodded. "I get that, but I need to know if you're in any danger, and the villagers don't like secrets."

Tali sat for a moment in silence before nodding. "Okay," she said. "My village was in a lot of trouble. We live near Snowpeak, and food can be hard to come by, especially in the winter. Last winter we were starving. A lot of people died, mostly older people, but it was still really sad. Then, just as we were about to give up a man came to the village. He said he could make all our problems go away, for a price. We were desperate, so we accepted. He wanted to live in our village with us, and be given a position of power. Not like the mayor or anything, but he wanted some power. We agreed, and somehow he managed to bring us tons of food. Good food, too.

"We survived the winter, thanks to him, and he lived with us. He was very secretive and, although he helped us out a lot, he never let anyone know what he was up to. He had a big house built and did all kinds of stuff in there, but no one ever knew what he did. We didn't really care, either, so long as he kept supplying food and stuff for us."

Tali stopped for a minute and swallowed nervously. When she started again her voice was shaky. "But then he started bringing people into his house. Girls, around my age. They went in one night and came out another. Some of them seemed really freaked out after, but they never said anything. The mayor talked to him about it, but the man always said the same thing. 'I give you food, and in exchange you don't question me. If you don't like it, then I'll leave and you'll never see another bit of food in this village for the rest of your lives.' We were all too scared to do anything because we didn't want to starve. One day he came after me. I was so scared, but I went with him. He...he touched me, and tried to do terrible things to me. I didn't want to, so I ran. He got super mad and started throwing stuff at me. As I was running, I tripped on something and fell down. There was a room next to me, so I got up and ran inside. There was this mirror...thing on the far wall. I heard him coming down the hall and freaked out. He came into the room and hit me. He started yelling 'I bring you food, save your life, and you refuse to pay me for it! You will know suffering. SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PRECIOUS VILLAGE!' Then he kicked me into the mirror. I blacked out, and the next thing I can remember is waking up here." When she finished she had tears in her eyes.

Link didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," he eventually managed to say. But Link couldn't leave it at that. "Do you think he'll come after you here?"

Tali shook her head. "No, I think he just wanted to get rid of me. I think his mirror is magic somehow."

Magic. That word was the most hated word in Ordon. The Twilight incident started a fear of magic in Ordon Village that only grew stronger and stronger as time passed. It didn't help that Link's uncle, who was seen by the village as their own hero, died because of an incident with magic. Link wasn't a fool, nor was he a coward, so the thought of magic being involved in Tali's appearance didn't scare him, but he knew the villagers would hate it. But Link had to tell them. They deserved to know who was in their village and why.

Link made a decision: he wasn't going to lie to the villagers. That would be wrong, but he didn't have to tell them the truth until Tali was feeling better. Her sudden appearance due to magic would freak the villagers out, and they'd probably bombard her with questions. Link doubted that they'd kick her out, though, and that was why he felt okay about his decision. She would certainly be attacked with questions and mistrust, but she wouldn't be banished.

"Tali," Link started. She turned to look at him. "Don't tell anyone else what you told me. If anyone asks about what happened, leave them to me. For now, at least. I'll let you know when it's okay to tell the rest of them."

"I don't want to have to tell that story again," Tali said. She was almost whispering. "I just don't want to have to think about it. Not now, at least."

Link nodded in understanding. "One day you're going to have to, but for now I think that's a good idea."

Tali nodded. "Um, Link?" she asked. "Could you help me get to a window? I want to see the sun."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ghirahim encountered more resistance than anticipated at the second village. Some retired soldiers from the Hylian army lived in that village, and many of the youth were well trained in combat. Ghirahim was easily able to slaughter all of them, but the resistance had him stop and think. The closer he got to Hyrule Castle and Kakariko Village, the more and more people would fight him. Ghirahim had been overwhelmed by sheer numbers before, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen again. No, if he wanted to destroy Hyrule he was going to need an army. An army so mighty that not even the great army of Hyrule could hope to stand against it. But an army of that size would require more than one demon leading it. Ghirahim needed to find some generals to lead his army.

Ghirahim had been around since the dawn of time, and even when he was locked away he still heard stories and rumors. Rumors of powerful creatures sealed and hidden away, much like he was. One such being was Ganondorf, but Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm, beyond Ghirahim's reach. There were others, however, that Ghirahim could find. There was one creature known as Nocturne, a being born of fear and nightmares. A creature that not only could create and control fear, but grew stronger from it. Such an entity would make a perfect leader in Ghirahim's army.

Nocturne was sealed away thousands of years ago on an island far off the coast of Termina's Great Bay. Far enough away that any Zora or fishermen wouldn't accidentally stumble across it. Ghirahim knew of this location, but he needed a boat. Luckily for him, there were some Gerudo pirates that roamed Termina's Great Bay.

Getting to Termina was easy. Ghirahim never tired and could move faster than any human or Hylian could possibly imagine. In a mere six hours he was able to get to the pirates' alcove in the Great Bay. Ghirahim gathered a group of monsters as he traveled; darknuts, moblins, bokoblins, wizzrobes, and others. He ordered them to meet him by the alcove. The Gerudo pirates were notorious for being skilled and vicious fighters. And they were many.

Ghirahim scouted ahead and found an area to build a small army. And there he waited, watching the Gerudo, learning their tactics and strengths. It took four days for the bulk of his small army to gather, and during all this time Ghirahim waited, watching. He occasionally attacked a couple members of the all-women tribe, but for the most part remained hidden. Those few that tasted his blade died. There was no surviving an attack from the Demon Lord Ghirahim.

Once his army had gathered he ordered the moblins to attack first. Moblins were large and dangerous, yes, but they were fairly stupid creatures. The Gerudo women saw the small hoard of the giant, pig-like monsters and sounded an alarm. A group of Gerudo ran out to meet them in combat. The women were skilled, but the numbers and sheer strength of the moblins proved to be a challenge, even for them. Several were killed on both sides, though since monsters' bodies dissolve into dust there was no way to count the slain moblins.

While the moblins attacked that part of the alcove, Ghirahim sent two separate groups of bokoblins, each group accompanied by two darknuts, to two other parts of the alcove, far enough apart to split the Gerudo forces. The ugly little goblins weren't as strong as moblins, but they were far smarter and were able to plan and use some degree of strategy. The darknuts were among the most fearsome monsters alive, and would be able to easily provide enough skill and power to the bokoblin forces to make up for their weaknesses.

The wizzrobes he had teleport into the alcove and launch fireballs at any Gerudo they could find. Ghirahim then ordered the rest of the monsters to fall in behind the dwindling group of moblins and reinforce them. Ghirahim himself jumped into the alcove and began slaughtering any Gerudo he could find. With the she-pirates all separated by the three main attacking groups, Ghirahim was easily able to kill anyone not battling the monsters. One of the many perks of being a Demon Lord was the ability to sense nearby monsters and how they were faring. Ghirahim jumped from group to group, helping whichever group was in danger of being defeated, turning the tide of the battles. It didn't take long before Ghirahim was able to obliterate the entirety of the Gerudo pirates. At least, those in the alcove.

After slaughtering the last of the warrior women, the Demon Lord called all remaining darknuts, six in total, to accompany him as he sailed for Nocturne's prison. Ghirahim knew where to look. The small group sailed off into the sea, leaving the remaining monsters to slaughter any pirates that returned to their little hideout.

It took two days to travel to the island where Nocturne was imprisoned. The island was small and held a single, all black dome made from what looked like rune stones. Sealing stones, likely. Ghirahim had seen similar stones before. The dome radiated magic, and looked like a death trap. It would have been terrifying, if Ghirahim were capable of fear. The darknuts, normally fearless monsters, were frightened, but they would not disobey the Demon Lord. Ghirahim led the group into the dome. It was pitch black inside, not that it mattered. Ghirahim could tell where everything was, despite being blinded by the darkness that permeated the dome.

"What fool dares to enter my hell?" a voice said. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and it was impossible to pinpoint any location. The voice itself sounded raspy, like an evil whisper, and ancient. It was an old, powerful, evil voice. It was the voice of someone, or something, that had been around for thousands of years.

As soon as the voice appeared the temperature plummeted. Ghirahim could feel frost building on his borrowed body. "I can sense the fear your monsters have," the voice said. "They know that they will die here, they fear this place, as all fear their tomb. Yet you, you are not afraid."

"No," Ghirahim said. "I have no reason to fear you, nightmare. Show yourself!"

Ghirahim felt rather than saw a flash behind him. He spun around and sensed that all seven of his darknuts had fallen to the ground. He heard their bodies disintegrate into dust. "So, weapon, what fool's errand has brought you to my prison?" the voice said.

"Weapon? I am more than just a mere weapon!" Ghirahim exclaimed. "I am the Demon Lord Ghirahim!"

"You are the sword of the Demon King Demise. A sentient weapon, but just a weapon nevertheless," the voice said. "Why have you come here?"

Ghirahim struggled to brush aside his anger, but managed to do so. Well enough, anyway. "I plan to destroy this world and all who inhabit it, but to do so even I would need a mighty army. I have come to enlist you as a general in my army."

"You plan to destroy all who inhabit it?" the voice asked, sounding incredulous. "Why would I agree to fight for someone who only plans to kill me? Why would anyone wish to battle for a cause that will lead to their own destruction?"

Ghirahim paused for a moment. He hadn't thought of that. The ancient Hero who defeated him and his master had power given to him by the Goddess Hylia, but perhaps he had something more. No mortal should have been able to defeat Demise, no matter how strong a sword he had. There must have been something more to him. "What do you propose?" Ghirahim asked. Perhaps this nightmare had some ideas.

"Wherein lies your hatred? Is it against all creation, or just mankind?"

"I wish for all descendants of the cursed Goddess Hylia to be eradicated from this world!"

The voice chuckled. "Good. That is a good place to start. Now, why should I help you? I expect some kind of reward."

"Do you not value your freedom?" Ghirahim angrily demanded. He was growing weary of this ridiculous conversation.

"I feed on fear. It gives me power, it gives me life. If you destroy everything, what shall I feed on?" the voice asked. "You ask me to join you and seal my own destruction."

Ghirahim snarled. He needed an army, but he wasn't about to allow any of the cursed descendants of Hylia survive. And no one in the kingdom of Hyrule was going to stop him. All who lived in Hyrule would die. Perhaps there was another country...yes, Ghirahim knew of some others. Termina was closest to Hyrule, but they would likely try to help protect their neighbors. No, Ghirahim would have to kill all of them, as well.

Ghirahim heard rumors of a land far overseas. One that had been peopled not by descendants of the cursed Goddess, but rather descendants of the ancient Ikana people. Yes, that land would do.

"If you agree to fight for me, then I shall allow you to roam free and have the kingdom that dwells overseas. You will be free to feed on the fear of an entire nation, one that has no knowledge of your coming. What say you?"

The voice was silent for a few moments before saying "Very well. Set me free, and promise to deliver this new land to me after the war, and I will fight for you."

Ghirahim grinned wickedly. His army was growing.

* * *

AN:

 **UPDATE: I have all the OC's I need for this story! I'll leave the form here, in case anyone wants to use it themselves, but I'm not accepting anymore characters.**

Name:

Race*:

Age:

Appearance:

Powers (only three or four, please)#:

Weakness(es) (needs at LEAST one viable weakness)%:

Backstory:

Personality Traits:

Weapon of choice:  
*If they're not a standard race in the Zelda games, give a brief description of the race here  
#superhuman strength, speed, endurance, etc can all be considered one power  
%don't just say Master Sword, please. It's the Sword of Evil's Bane, so all villains will be weak to it

I'll do one for Nocturne to give y'all an idea of what I'm looking for.

Name: Nocturne

Race: ancient nightmare brought to life

Age: 250,000 years

Appearance: appears most commonly as a tall figure in a black cloak that covers his entire body, including his face. Red eyes can be seen shining through the cloak. His arms are long and his hands are clawed

Powers (only three or four, please): senses and feeds on fear; can disappear into shadows; superhuman prowess; access to shadow magic

Weakness(es) (needs at LEAST one viable weakness): bright lights weaken him; grows weaker when there isn't any fear for him to feed on; strong courage repels him

Backstory: during the war with the demons the people of Hylia lived in constant fear for their lives. This fear was so strong that it mixed in with all the shadow magic used by the demons, giving rise to this creature, known only as Nocturne. Nocturne terrorized people for two hundred thousand years until a group of powerful sorcerers banded together to seal him away on an island where he could do no harm to any other.

Personality Traits: cunning, interested in self-preservation, doesn't like to confront people head on, prefers to work from the shadows and manipulate others to get what he wants

Weapon of choice: a combination of shadow magic and psychological manipulation, though he can be deadly with his claws and strength if pulled into a brawl

That's what I'm looking for, so please submit those OC's!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, so I uploaded chapter 5 the other day, but FanFiction had some kind of crash or something and didn't register the story as updated, so before reading this chapter make sure you read chapter 5. It's a Ghirahim chapter, and I'm 98% sure it uploaded (I checked). If for whatever reason the chapter before this one isn't a Ghirahim chapter, please shoot me a PM and let me know. I'll take care of that. Also, please read the note at the end of chapter 5. It has some details on a "submit your own OC" thing I'm doing. Please, fill it out and leave it in a review for me. It'd help me out a ton.

Chapter 6:

Tali had been slowly and surely getting better and better as time progressed. She got impatient with herself a few times because her recovery was slower than she wanted, but for the most part she did what she could. As she began feeling better she started helping out around Link's house a bit. She knew how to cook, much better than Link did, and she cleaned up the house. Link was rarely there, and as a result the house had gotten a bit dusty, which didn't bother Link at all, but Tali wanted to do something to help, so Link let her clean. That was about all she could do for a while.

After a couple of weeks she started leaving the house more often, doing small things like getting groceries. Link told her not to tell anyone her story, and told the villagers that she had been attacked by a creep and needed somewhere safe to stay for a bit. He also told them that it was a bit traumatizing for her, and that he didn't want them to pester her about it. They respected his wishes, though they were starting to get curious. The villagers wondered if there was more to her story, and if magic was somehow involved. The people of Ordon Village hated magic more than anything.

Roughly a month had passed since Tali had fallen into Ordon, and the villagers trusted Link enough to leave her in peace, but they were started to get restless. Rumors and gossip spread, saying that Tali had arrived due to some evil magic. Tali, oblivious to the rumors and gossip, was almost completely recovered, and doing her best to help Link as much as she could. Despite being well enough to leave, Link had allowed her to stay with him, due to what happened in her home town.

Link was working with Terrance again, herding the goats, while Tali did what she could to help people around the village. She was helping Maria dust her attic one day, still oblivious to the rumors going on about her. The two women were dusting the attic when Tali accidentally inhaled a large dust cloud. It itched her nose for a moment before she let out a large sneeze.

"Bless you, de-" Maria started. She was cut off because she could have sworn she saw Tali glow faintly after that sneeze. The apparent glow faded very quickly, but Maria was certain she saw it.

Tali noticed her odd expression and said "Is everything okay?"

Maria didn't respond, so Tali slowly said "Maria? Are you okay?"

Maria shook her head and said "Y-yes, dear, I just, uh, are you feeling okay?"

Tali frowned a bit. "Yeah, why?" She thought for a minute and said "Oh, that was just a sneeze. I just breathed in some dust, that's all. I'm not sick or anything."

Maria decided that either Tali was lying or that she had been hallucinating. Neither option seemed particularly desirable. "You know, dear," Maria said. "I think we've done enough for the day."

"Are you sure?" Tali said. "We still have a lot left. I don't mind at all sticking around."

Maria did her best to put on a fake smile. "No, no. That's quite alright. I need a break, anyway, and I'll get my kids to finish up here. They hardly ever do anything around the house, anyway."

Tali, still oblivious to what was really going on, just agreed and said that if Maria needed anything to feel free to ask.

"I swear, one minute we were dusting my attic, then the girl sneezed and started to glow!" Maria said. She was standing with two other women, both notorious gossips.

"Are you sure?" an older woman with more wrinkles on her face than the faint white hairs she had on her head, asked.

"Absolutely. She must be a witch or something. Have I ever lied before?"

The two other women both shook their heads. While Maria did tend to exaggerate a lot, she never lied.

Unbeknownst to the three gossips, Link stood a short ways away. He was heading back from working with Terrance and overheard the three women gossiping. 'They must be talking about Tali,' Link thought to himself. He had never once seen her glow before. Link knew about the rumors going around about her, he tried to stop them several times, but they never sounded as concrete as what Maria was saying.

Link disregarded it as just more gossip. Perhaps Maria was imagining things. She did say they were dusting her attic, perhaps Maria was fatigued and imagined Tali glowing. Still, Link decided to keep a more observant eye on his housemate from then on, just in case.

Link opened his door and was greeted by a delicious smell. He couldn't identify it completely, but he was confident that there was some roasted cucco involved. While Link had no issues living alone, he had to admit that he enjoyed having Tali as a housemate. It was nice having someone to talk to at the end of the day.

"Hey, Link!" Tali called. Link grunted in reply. Okay, he said talk to, but more often that not he just listened as Tali talked. It didn't bother either of them. Tali didn't mind Link not talking, and Link enjoyed listening. It reminded him of when his uncle was still alive, when the house was something other than empty darkness.

Link went to the kitchen to see if he could help with anything. As always, he had no idea what was going on in there and was quickly told not to worry about cooking. "I don't mind, really," Tali once said. "I actually like cooking. My dad and I always used to cook together." She got very quiet after that and kept cooking.

Link sat down and waited for Tali to finish cooking. It didn't take her too long to finish and serve the food. Link waited for her to sit down. Once she was seated, the two glanced at each other and started eating. The food was delicious.

After dinner Link typically went outside to train a bit with the sword he had found. For the first couple weeks, Tali would just watch him practice. Once she started feeling better, she would pick up a nearby stick and try to copy Link. That lasted about two days. Then the poor girl hit herself in the head with the stick, and Link decided to stop her. She wanted to do something, so Link pulled out his old slingshot. He rarely used it anymore, and it was easy enough to figure out. So Link would practice swordplay while Tali shot at some targets Link set up. They typically did this for about an hour – until the sun set completely. Then the two of them would head inside and Tali would talk about her day. Sometimes Link would pull out an old game he used to play with his uncle and the two of them would play it together. The duo then went to bed.

This was their routine, and it went fairly uninterrupted for a few days after the sneezing incident. Link was back at the ranch helping Terrance with the goats. Link had a horse, but he usually left her at the ranch. His horse, named Epona, liked it there, and Terrance had no issue with letting her have one of the stables. Link usually used Epona to herd the goats, though the two of them occasionally went into the woods to gather things for some of the villagers. On that day he was riding Epona, herding the goats into their stable. Tali had gone with Link to try to learn a bit about working with goats, and maybe learn how to ride a horse.

Link was on Epona when the horse suddenly bucked, startled by something. Link fell off and Epona bolted away. Link looked around and saw a goat, angrily charging towards him. "Link, look out!" he heard Tali call.

Link prepared to roll out of the way at the last second, but never had the chance. The goat suddenly stopped moving. It looked as surprised as a goat could look. Link looked up and saw two golden chains, one wrapped around each horn. He followed the chains to their source and, to his shock, saw them coming from Tali's hands.

Tali looked even more shocked than both Link and the goat combined. The chains were only there for a second before they faded away, but Link and Tali both knew what happened. Tali burst into tears and knelt in the grass. "What did he do to me!?" she cried.

Link got up and scurried over to his housemate. The goat, calmed down by then, turned and wandered away. Tali was weeping, her hands covering her face. Link looked for Terrance and saw a mix of shock, fear, confusion, and hatred in his eyes. Terrance looked and Link and left towards the village. Link frowned. It wouldn't be too long before the entire village knew that Tali had something to do with magic.

But Link didn't have time to worry about that. He needed to try and calm Tali down. The only problem was, Link had no idea how to do that. He wasn't very good with people. Not like this. He had no idea how to go about helping with emotional problems. Link settled on putting his arm around her. She jumped and looked at him. Her eyes were red and swollen, and tears streamed down her face.

Link had no idea what to say. He felt very awkward just sitting there with his arm around his friend. Luckily, Tali broke the awkward silence for him. "That man, that horrible man," Tali said, voice quivering. "He must have done something to me. I wasn't like this before!"

Link tried to get her to stand up. "Come on, let's get back home," he said softly. Tali cooperated, but Link had to lead her back. He decided to go around the village. The villagers likely knew by now what Tali had done, and Link didn't want to expose the poor girl to them just yet. The two made their way back to Link's house. They skipped dinner and training. Tali went to her bed and laid there, crying. Link sat in the living room, wishing he could do something to help her. Tali eventually cried herself to sleep, but Link wasn't tired enough to try.

Tali had likely saved his life, even if it was by magic. Link never had much of an issue with magic, not knowing that magic is what killed his uncle until years after the accident. Link didn't really want to ever get involved with it, but he didn't fear and despise it like the rest of Ordon did. Well, he was involved now. Not only that, but Tali proved that day that magic could be a good thing. She saved Link from, at the very least, getting a serious thrashing by an angry goat. Come to think of it, why did the goat freak out and attack like that? Link hadn't seen what had caused it, and didn't have time to think about it until then.

Link was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on his door. Link opened the door and saw the entire village, minus the children, gathered outside. The mayor, a large, powerfully built man, was in front. "Link," the mayor said "Terrance said that your guest is a witch."

"She used magic," Link said, speaking carefully, "but she didn't know she could until today. And she saved me from a crazy goat."

"Doesn't matter," the mayor said. "She can't stay here. We can't risk bringing magic to Ordon. Have you forgotten the about the Twilight crisis?"

"That was years ago," Link said. "And wasn't it resolved with magic, as well?"

The mayor ignored Link and said "And what about your uncle? He'd still be with us if it wasn't for magic."

Link pulled out his sword. The mayor took a step back. Link set the blade on the ground. "Can that sword hurt anyone, just sitting there?"

"Well, no."

"And if I picked it up, would it kill people?"

"No, but-"

"And why should magic be any different?" Link said, cutting the mayor off. "As far as I understand, magic is a tool. A tool is not inherently evil, only the wielder can be. Why, then, is it different for magic?"

"Link, this is not something you can talk us out of," the mayor said. "We are not allowing a witch to live in our village!" The rest of the villagers all yelled out in agreement.

"What do you want me to do?" Link shouted. Many of the villagers gasped in shock. Link never shouted.

"She needs to leave," the mayor said, a bit stunned by Link's outburst. "She has until the morning to be gone."

Link thought for a moment. He couldn't convince the entire village. Maybe, if he had enough time he could convince most of them, one on one, but he knew he wouldn't be able to convince the entire crowd. Not with them all together. "Fine," Link said. The mayor visibly relaxed. "But I won't make her leave alone. I'm going with her, until we find somewhere she can be safe."

The mayor looked stunned. "But, Link-"

"No," Link said, cutting the mayor off. "This isn't something you can talk me out of." Link intentionally used the mayor's own words. The mayor sighed.

"You have until morning to be gone," he said, then turned around and left with the rest of the village.


	7. Chapter 7

My recent updates have been rather frequent, but I do want to warn y'all that my updates aren't regular. I have a lot more free time now than I used to, and I have a good idea of what I want in these next few chapters, so the next ones will probably come fairly quickly, but after that it may take awhile. Just wanted to warn y'all.

Chapter 7

Link was getting Epona ready to leave. It was very early in the morning. He had just gone to the ranch to grab his horse. No one else was awake, at least as far as Link could tell. He quietly took his horse and led her back to his house. "You're going to have to carry two people for quite a while. Are you up for it?" Link quietly said to his horse.

Link's steed nodded her head up and down, as if saying "I can handle it, no problem." Link grinned.

Link thought he heard some footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw the village doctor, Harvin. Link glared at the man. Harvin seemed unfazed. "It's not right," Harvin began. "What they're making the poor girl do. She shouldn't have to leave just because the people here are scared out of their wits of what she can do."

Link's gaze softened. He had thought Harvin agreed with the villagers. He was glad to be proven wrong. "There's nothing I can do about it, now," Link said quietly.

"I know," Harvin said. "And it's very noble of you to go with her." Link waited for the "but." It never came.

"I came by to tell you that Kakariko Village is probably your best bet. They have all manner of people living there, shamans, soldiers, magicians, even some Gorons live there. She'll be accepted there, no problem," Harvin said.

Link nodded his thanks. "How far is it?"

"About a five days' ride. Head towards Death Mountain, and you'll get there," Harvin replied. The man was known to be very eccentric, yet he was the most normal Link had ever seen the old doctor.

Harvin pulled out two filled saddlebags from his large coat. "Here, I filled these with bread and some medicines, just in case." Link gratefully accepted the saddlebags and attached them to Epona's saddle.

Harvin took a deep breath. "Link," he said. Link turned to face the old man. "Magic isn't evil. It can be used for great evil, yes, but it can also be used for equally great good. There must be opposition in all things; there needs to be a balance in everything. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't." Harvin then wished Link the best of luck and returned to the village. Link knew that he had to leave soon. He went inside and woke up Tali. Link explained to her, as gently as he could, what happened. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she agreed to cooperate.

Link led her outside and helped her get on his horse. Before he himself got on he said "We're heading for Kakariko Village. It'll take about five days to get there." Tali nodded, and Link hopped on Epona and together the three of them left Ordon behind.

It took a couple of hours to get out of the forest, and Tali was silent the entire time. Link had left the Ordon Province a couple of times before, but the view of Hyrule field upon leaving the forest never ceased to amaze him. The field stretched before him, green grass covering almost all of it, save for a couple of ponds and rocks scattered here and there. He could see Hyrule Castle to the north. Behind him Tali gasped.

Link searched the horizon, looking for Death Mountain. It was easy to find. He saw it a good distance west of Hyrule Castle. Link turned Epona towards the mountain and started heading towards it.

Behind him Link could sense Tali's excitement. He could feel her head moving back and forth, taking the entire view in. He was glad that she had something to keep her distracted, though he knew it wouldn't last long. Hopefully they would find someone in Kakariko to take her in and look after her.

They kept traveling in silence for a few more hours. It was about midday by then, and Link decided that it was a good time to stop. He looked around, searching for a good place to rest. His eyes settled on a nearby pond. It wasn't very big, but it was big enough that Epona could drink all the water she wanted. There was also plenty of grass just off of the shore for Epona to graze on, and a small tree that cast a bit of shade. Link steered his horse over to the pond.

He helped Tali get down from Epona and told his horse to drink and graze, but to stay nearby. She nodded, and Link knew she understood his orders. Epona was very intelligent, and very obedient.

Link pulled out some of the bread Harvin had given him and handed some to Tali. She took it wordlessly and began to eat it. Link then took a bite. It tasted good. Link idly wondered if Harvin had made it himself or bought it.

Tali and Link had both gone over to sit under the tree while Epona went to the pond for a drink. The two of them sat in silence for a bit, when Tali asked "Link?"

Link grunted, signaling that it was okay to ask her question. "Are you sure people will accept me in Kakariko?"

Link didn't respond for a minute. "Truthfully," Link said "I don't know. I've never been there before, but Harvin told me this morning that you would be, and I trust him."

"I'm a freak," Tali whispered.

Link turned to his distressed friend. "No, you're not a freak," he said. "You're a victim of something that was beyond your control, and now you have a special power. It might not even be unique. There are a ton of other people who have magical abilities. Many of them use their powers for good." Link was quiet for a minute. "Maybe with enough practice, you can learn to control it and use your own power for good."

Tali immediately started shaking her head. "No, I never want to use it. That horrible man did this to me, and I don't want to have to remember it unless I absolutely have to."

Link nodded in understanding. It was her choice, after all. If she didn't want to use her power, then she shouldn't have to.

Tali sat in silence for a couple more minutes before asking "Link, what are you going to do after dropping me off?"

Link didn't answer right away. He had lived in Ordon his entire life. It was his home, but the recent behavior of the villagers had him questioning whether he wanted to return or not. Eventually, he said "I don't know. I'm not sure I want to go back after the way the villagers treated you, but Ordon's my home. I have nowhere else to go."

Tali nodded. "Okay, but wherever you go, will you at least come visit me every now and then?"

Link nodded. "Yeah, I'll make sure to return to Kakariko periodically and visit you. Promise."

"Thanks, Link."

Link let them sit for a little while longer before saying "Come on, we should get going."

The two of them hopped back on Epona and continued riding until sunset. As the sun began to descend, Link started searching for a good place to make camp. There weren't any ponds nearby, but Link saw a small alcove in a cliff not too far away. Link steered his horse over to the alcove, where he and Tali set up camp.

It was summer, so they didn't need too many blankets, but Link lit a small fire anyway. Tali was exhausted from the day. Riding a horse didn't seem to difficult in theory, but it was actually rather exhausting. Link knew from experience. Epona sat not too far away from her master and was sleeping soundly. Link was tempted to sleep, too, but he knew that monsters sometimes roamed Hyrule field at night, and he didn't want them sneaking up on them. He hadn't heard of any particularly dangerous monsters in Hyrule field, so he wasn't too concerned with them, but if they came while everyone was asleep then they could prove to be a problem.

"We should take turns keeping watch," Link said to Tali, who was already starting to nod off.

She blinked at him and rubbed her eyes. "Okay," she said sleepily.

Link grinned to himself and said "Get some sleep. I'll take the first watch." Tali didn't argue and immediately laid down to go to sleep.

Link made sure to keep the fire going. Most of the night proved to be pretty uneventful. Link was starting to feel his eyelids droop. He shook his head and decided his watch was over. He quickly scanned Hyrule field before waking Tali when he saw something that immediately jerked him awake. In the distance, and heading towards their campsite, was a bokoblin.

The hideous creature carried a crude iron blade with it, and it looked like it was ready to attack. Link quickly grabbed his sword, all sleepiness gone, and rushed out towards the creature. Link had killed a few monsters in his day, but they were just keese, chu-chus, and the occasional deku baba. Nothing as dangerous as a bokoblin.

As Link approached the monster he drew his sword. The ugly brute saw the challenge in his eyes and got excited, preparing its own weapon for combat. Link waited patiently for the creature to strike. It swung its blade at his head. Link ducked, and thrust out with his own weapon. The blade nicked the creature on its arm. The bokoblin grunted in pain and surprise.

The bokoblin swung its crude weapon at Link again, this time aiming for the torso. Link blocked the weapon with his own sword and quickly swung the blade up, cutting the creature's arm. Link then quickly stabbed the monster through the chest with his blade. The goblin-like creature looked down at the blade protruding from its chest before exploding into purple dust. Link put his sword away, panting lightly, and returned to camp. He took a moment to calm down and then, deciding against telling Tali what he saw, woke her up for her watch.

The group did the same thing for the next four days, minus fighting a bokoblin. They found places to rest around midday and found somewhere to set up camp as the sun began to descend. They encountered no further problems during their travels, save for the occasional keese every now and then. It was evening of the fifth day when Link saw the gates to what he assumed to be Kakariko Village in the distance. He had Epona pick up her pace a bit to close the gap between them and the village.

The gate was still open. Link guessed that it was closed at night. Link rode Epona through the gate and rode up next to a spring. The village was old – very old. Link could see that the buildings had history. They were well-maintained, but Link could see the age in them. There were a few people wandering around, likely heading home, and Link saw a few big creatures that looked like orange rocks with arms, legs, and faces walking around. They must have been Gorons.

Link got off of his horse and helped Tali down before leading Epona to what seemed to be an inn. It had a stable outside, and was large enough to house many people. Link told Epona to stay where she was and walked inside.

The inside consisted of a set of stairs, a sitting area with about twenty chairs, and a counter covered in papers. A young man stood at the counter, looking bored. Link walked up to the man, who glanced over with a bored expression. Until his eyes fell on Tali. He immediately perked up once he saw her.

"Welcome to Kakariko Inn, travelers!" the man said, sounding a bit overenthusiastic. "Just the two of you tonight?"

"And a horse," Link said. "Is there room in your stable for a horse?"

The man opened one of the books scattered on the counter. He tossed it aside and reached for another. He repeated this four times before finally saying "Ah, here it is. Yep, there should be a stall for your horse. Number ten is open. I'm guessing you'll want water and hay for it, too?"

Link nodded. "Okay, and how many rooms do you need? One or two?" the man said.

"Two," Link replied, deciding to pay a bit extra in order to allow both himself and Tali some privacy.

The man nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Okay, that totals to...forty-three rupees."

Link pulled out his wallet and started looking through it. Including the purple rupee he found in his basement, which was worth fifty alone, he had just over a hundred. Link pulled out the purple rupee and three green ones, handing them to the man.

"Fifty-three? Okay, so that's ten rupees in change...hang on, I've got a yellow one around here somewhere." The man bent down and started searching. After a couple of minutes he stood back up and handed Link a yellow rupee after taking the rupees Link offered.

The man then handed Link two keys and said "You'll be in rooms 134 and 135. They're just up the stairs and to the left." Link grunted in thanks and handed Tali one of the keys.

"I'm going to get Epona settled in. You can head up now, if you want," Link said. Tali nodded and went up the stairs. Link knew she was exhausted. Sleeping on the ground wasn't usually the most restful way to sleep, and after five days of non-stop horseback riding and sleeping on the ground, Link knew Tali was exhausted. He was exhausted.

Link went outside and led Epona to stall ten. True to the innkeeper's word, it was open. Link rubbed Epona down and made sure she was comfortable. He brought over a barrel of water to her and let her drink before tossing in a hay bale so she could eat. He shut the stall and locked it, not out of fear that Epona would leave, but rather to make sure everyone else who entered knew that she was supposed to be there.

Link then went back into the inn and went upstairs. The upper floor was much more basic than the lower floor. It was just a hallway with a bunch of doors on both sides. Link turned to the left, looking for rooms 134 and 135. The key he had said 135, so when Link found it he stuck the key in and entered. The room had a single bed, a small nightstand, and a window with curtains to cover it. Link closed the curtains and laid down in the bed, tired from his five day journey.

* * *

AN: I am still looking for one more OC to be a general in Ghirahim's army. I have two that are inherently evil by nature and rely quite a bit on dark magic, so if anyone would like to submit more of a tragic good-guy-gone-bad-due-to-threats-or-whatever-from-main-villain kind of OC I think that's be a lot of fun. That dynamic would be fun to write about, especially in contrast with the other two evil generals and the very evil Ghirahim. The form is still at the end of chapter 5, so please submit some OC's for me.


	8. Chapter 8

All OC positions have been filled. Thanks to all those who submitted an OC, and without further ado, here's one of them:

Chapter 8

'Nocturne had better be right about this one,' Ghirahim thought angrily to himself. Ghirahim was traveling up one of the northern mountains, farther north than Snowpeak. It was cold, but that didn't bother Ghirahim. What bothered him was how obnoxiously difficult it was to find the blasted peak in the first place. Nocturne, though imprisoned, still was able to sense the fears of others. Specifically their nightmares. Nightmares had a certain potency to them that Nocturne could feel them even while imprisoned. Or, that's what the living nightmare claimed. Ghirahim didn't care one bit about how the power worked. It was destructive, and that was good enough.

Nocturne had sensed many nightmares roughly 4000 years ago about some kind of dragon knight or something. Some warrior who was killed by the Hero of Time, but through sheer will came back as a lich. Nocturne felt enough nightmares from enough people to believe that there was some truth to the legends, and Ghirahim decided it was worth investigating.

He may have been wrong. First of all, in order to investigate he needed to search ancient legends and stories, which required that he a) make sure no one recognized him from his many slaughters and b) interact with the filthy denizens of Hyrule. It took days to get the information he needed, and even then it wasn't much to go on. All he could find were stories of some Kaaldviing, an ice dragon knight who tried to take over Hyrule. The stories say that the Hero of Time killed Kaaldviing, but his desire for power fueled him even after perishing, leading to his revival as a lich.

According to the stories, even with his new powers Kaaldviing still couldn't defeat the Hero. He retreated into the northern mountains to train and learn to use his new powers. There is no record that the dragon knight returned to Hyrule. Ghirahim killed the people around him and left the archives that contained the story.

Ghirahim and Nocturne then had a heated debate about whether it was worth searching the mountains for this particular dragon knight. Eventually, Ghirahim lashed out and attacked Nocturne, causing the living nightmare to flee. A few days later Nocturne returned and told Ghirahim that there was something in the northern mountains. Alive, yet dead.

"And how do you know this?" Ghirahim demanded.

"I went there myself," Nocturne replied. "All living creatures fear something, and I can sense it. There's something in those mountains, yet its fear is different from anything I have ever felt."

There was more arguing. In the end, Ghirahim left to search the mountains for whatever it was that Nocturne had felt. The search itself was annoying enough, but if this warrior lost to the Hero of Time, what use would he be in Ghirahim's army? The sentient weapon intended to dominate and destroy. There would surely be a new Hero to try and stop him, and this new Hero would likely inherit the powers of the Hero of Time. If this Kaaldviing couldn't defeat him before, why would he be able to now?

It didn't take too long to find the cave. The stench of death reeked from it. Ghirahim scowled and, after vowing to severely punish Nocturne if this proved a waste of time, entered it.

The cave was dark. There was little light anywhere, but that didn't matter. Ghirahim needed very little light to be able to see. The cave was littered with bones and mangled corpses. Ghirahim kept walking when he sensed some movement behind him.

He quickly spun around and drew his sword. Several of the corpses that he had passed had risen up and were shambling towards him, not unlike a redead. Ghirahim cut the group of roughly ten corpses down very quickly. Each corpse fell to the ground once Ghirahim's blade cut through them.

Ghirahim turned around, back towards the inside of the cave, and shouted "You'll have to do better than that."

Many more corpses emerged from within the cave. Ghirahim counted about a hundred and fifty. The bodies were so old that many parts had already begun to decay. The horde of corpses couldn't move very fast like that. The sight would have terrified most, but Ghirahim felt only irritation.

Within twenty seconds the small army of corpses lay in a mangled mess of death behind the Demon Lord. Ghirahim growled. "Show yourself, you filthy coward!"

A large figure emerged from the shadows. It wore heavy, black and gold armor and a deep red furred cloak. The figure was very intimidating. At least, it would be to anyone else. Ghirahim merely raised an eyebrow.

The figure had a massive sword in its hand. The sword wasn't anything too fancy, but it was massive. The figure held it with ease.

"You're Kaaldviing?" Ghirahim asked, intentionally sounding both bored and unimpressed.

The figure nodded. "What are you?" it demanded.

Ghirahim ignored the question. "I'm building an army," Ghirahim said. "And I need generals. Are you good enough to lead?"

Kaaldviing bristled in anger, both at Ghirahim ignoring his question and the suggestion that the dragon knight was anything other than the best. Ghirahim raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did I upset you?" he mocked.

Ghirahim teleported behind Kaaldviing and said "Look, I've had a long week, so I suggest you just answer my questions and let me get on with my plans. Are you good enough to be a general in the most powerful army ever assembled or not?"

Kaaldviing spun around and swung his sword at Ghirahim. The Demon Lord ducked under the massive blade. Kaaldviing swung again, and again, while Ghirahim dodged each swing. Kaaldviing roared in rage and charged up some dark magic in his sword. He swung it at Ghirahim, who blocked the magic with his own blade. Ghirahim then quickly thrust his sword into Kaaldviing's thigh. The dragon knight grunted in pain and shock. All Ghirahim could see of his face were his eyes, and the eyes showed surprise.

"What, didn't think this sword could hurt you?" Ghirahim said. "I guess you are undead."

Ghirahim pulled his sword from Kaaldviing's thigh and held it in front of him. "This weapon was created with one purpose: total dominion. There's not a creature alive that it can't harm."

Kaaldviing growled and stood back up. Ghirahim took a step back and prepared for more combat. Kaaldviing quickly attacked Ghirahim with his sword, sending in a flurry of quick strikes. Ghirahim blocked each and every one of them with his own weapon.

The two warriors fought for a few minutes before Ghirahim got bored. He swung his blade right at Kaaldviing's sword. The impact knocked Kaaldviing's arm back, though the dragon knight retained his grip on his blade. Ghirahim took advantage of the forced opening and closed the small gap between the two warriors. Ghirahim then grabbed Kaaldviing's sword's hilt and proceeded to force it from the dragon knight's hand. Ghirahim was successful, and tossed the weapon aside before using magic to blast Kaaldviing off his feet.

Kaaldviing started to get up, but stopped once he felt the prick of Ghirahim's sword at his throat. "Hm," Ghirahim said. "You were beaten before, right? By the Hero of Time, I believe?" Ghirahim saw the rage in Kaaldviing's eyes.

Ghirahim continued. "Yes, I imagine he slaughtered you, too." Kaaldviing's eyes ignited with pure rage and hatred, but the blade at his throat kept him down.

"Tell you what," Ghirahim said. "If you can prove to me that you're as fearsome as they say you are, swear loyalty to me, and join my army as a general, I'll spare your life, and I'll give you a chance to kill the Hero's descendant."

Kaaldviing was silent for a moment. "You will let me kill the Hero of Time?"

Ghirahim shrugged. "Technically his newest incarnation, but you'd get a shot at the Hero nonetheless. Do we have a deal?"

Kaaldviing narrowed his eyes. "How do you want me to prove myself?"

Ghirahim grinned. "Let me show you."

Ghirahim snapped his fingers and the two warriors were teleported to a field. The field in question was near the south-eastern border of Hyrule. There was a small village not too far away. Ghirahim sheathed his sword and said "Slaughter that village. Kill every last person inside of it, and destroy the buildings around it. You have ten minutes."

Kaaldviing got up, picked up his sword that Ghirahim had brought with them, and headed for the village. It took roughly thirty seconds for the dragon knight to make the trip, which was fairly impressive. Ghirahim watched from the distance as he saw red splatter everywhere. Ghirahim noticed that each person Kaaldviing killed stood back up and went just outside the village. It took only two minutes before there were enough reanimated bodies to form a tight perimeter around the village, preventing anyone from escaping.

Kaaldviing was remorseless. He slaughtered everyone he came across. Women, children, elderly, all fell to the dragon knight's blade.

Seven minutes passed. Ghirahim watched as the dragon knight transformed himself into a large, snake like skeletal dragon, held together by an azure aura. The dragon breathed what looked to be azure flames onto the buildings. They didn't catch fire, but began to rot and corrode, quickly collapsing on themselves. The dragon razed the entire village in this manner before flying back to Ghirahim and transforming back to his humanoid form.

Kaaldviing stared at Ghirahim, waiting. Ghirahim shrugged. "Eh, good enough. Wait here. You'll have your orders soon."

"What about the Hero?" Kaaldviing growled. "If you lied to me-"

"You'll do what?" Ghirahim interrupted. Kaaldviing growled in anger. "Have I not already proven myself the superior warrior? You cannot kill me.

"As for the Hero, you'll get your chance. I swear to you that you will spill his blood before this war is over. But for now, do as I say."

Kaaldviing growled in anger. "You better watch yourself, monster. As soon as the Hero lies at my feet, I'm coming for you."

Ghirahim rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. Kaaldviing growled in anger once more, but didn't say anything.

Two down, one to go.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _"_ _You know he's building an army, right?"_

 _"Yes, I know."_

 _"Are we just going to sit here, then, and wait?"_

 _"And what exactly is it that we can do?"_

 _"Maybe, alert the Hero? Let him know what's going to happen?"_

 _"No, that's forbidden."_

 _"You contacted me."_

 _"That was different."_

 _"Sooner or later he's going to need our help."_

 _"He's not ready yet!"_

Link suddenly woke up. He looked around, panicked for a moment, before realizing he was still in Kakariko. The dream he had was quickly fading from his mind; all he remembered was a sense of urgency, and that the voices seemed very familiar to him.

Link shook his head to clear it. It was just a dream, after all. The room he was in had a filled basin nearby for bathing. Link didn't bathe too often; it wasn't a luxury he was accustomed to having. In Ordon, most people had to bath in the lake.

Link just decided to quickly wash his face. He wasn't sure what he was going to do after helping Tali get settled in, but he doubted he would have the same luxury he had there. Better to not get used to it.

After washing Link left his room and headed downstairs. The same man from the night before was at the counter, sleeping. Link looked at him and decided to sit down in the little waiting area just off to the side. There were some leaflets sitting on a nearby table. Link grabbed one and looked over it. He didn't know how to read very well; Ordon had some signs posted that Link needed to know how to read, but other than that the Hylian didn't read much.

Link was able to decipher most of the leaflet, though. From what he was able to gather someone was attacking towns in Hyrule. None of them were large towns, but there were no survivors from any of them. The leaflets described what the towns looked like afterwards, but Link had a hard time with that part. It used a good deal of technical jargon that made no sense to Link.

After Link finished reading the leaflet Tali came down the stairs. She still looked a bit tired. She saw Link and said "Morning."

Link nodded in reply. He glanced over at the man sleeping on the counter. He decided to just leave his room key in front of the man. Tali followed suit.

The two of them left the hotel. Link thought about getting Epona, but decided against it. The town wasn't so big he'd need a horse to get around. And his steed should be fine in the stables for the time being.

"Um, Link?" Tali asked. "Do you have any idea where we should go?"

Link didn't answer. He had just been asking himself the same question. Kakariko was a fairly large town, and it housed tons of people.

Eventually Link said "We could try the mayor."

Tali agreed and the two began searching for the mayor of the town. It sounded like an easy enough task, but it proved to be much more difficult than Link expected.

After asking around, Link learned that the town didn't really have a mayor. It had a shaman who acted as the mayor when necessary, but largely left the townspeople to do their own thing. Link also learned that the shaman was rarely home. Link and Tali went to the shaman's house, but were told by his son that he wasn't there.

Link and Tali spent a couple of hours searching for the shaman, but it was all to no avail. The two of them were starting to get hungry, and decided to stop by a local restaurant. The restaurant was a small, but well kept building. It had pictures of fish on its sign, which read "Zoras' Haven."

Before the two could go in, however, they were stopped by an old man. The man had a massive white beard and a crazed look in his bloodshot eyes. He wore a dirty, brown cloak that covered his entire body. He started shouting "Behold, the Hero is amongst us!"

None of the people around bothered looking at the man. The man, however, was oblivious to their indifference. "Look, we have a Hero in our midst! One of these two young people is the Hero of Legend, here to save us from doom!"

Neither Link nor Tali knew what to do with the obviously crazy old man. The old man didn't care, and continued shouting. "I can sense the Spirit of the Hero with one of them. Danger is upon us, and the Hero comes not a moment too soon!"

"Um, what danger?" Tali hesitantly asked. Link closed his eyes, wishing she hadn't said anything. He glanced over at her, and she seemed to regret opening her mouth.

"The Hero is here to save us from the dangers of poor oral hygiene!" the man shouted. "Rotting teeth are only the beginning! Soon, all mouths will smell so bad that the putrid aroma shall kill us all!"

Link was mentally screaming at the man to leave them in peace. But the man was ignorant of Link's mental pleas. "Indeed, the Hero is here, and it is one of you!" the man wildly waved his hands around. "There is only one way to know which: the Hero is immune to disease and illness!"

The man pulled out two rotten chunks of raw meat from his robe and held them out to Link and Tali. "You must each eat this meat, and whichever one doesn't get food poisoning is the Hero of Legend!"

Before Link or Tali could say anything, a voice came from behind them saying "That's enough, Martin!"

The old man put the rotten meat back into his cloak and walked away, grumbling to himself. Link and Tali turned around to see who had spoken. It was a man with long black hair and piercing brown eyes. He had a large nose and looked to be in his late forties to early fifties. He sighed and said "Sorry about that. Martin has the gift of foresight, but as he aged it gradually robbed him of his sanity. Now he spends all his time shouting about poor oral hygiene plaguing the kingdom of Hyrule." The man sighed.

"Yeah, well, thanks for helping us," Tali said. "I'm Tali."

"Renaldo," the man replied. "Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Link," Link said.

"We were looking for the shaman, do you know where we could find him?" Tali asked.

"Why, as a matter of fact I do," Renaldo said. "I am he. What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for a place for Tali to live," Link said. "We were hoping you could help us."

"Looking to move into our village," Renaldo said. "I think I could help you with that. But I came by here to get some lunch. Perhaps we could continue our conversation inside? This place serves the greatest reekfish anywhere outside of Zora's Domain."

"Sure, we were just about to eat here, too," Tali said.

Renaldo smiled. "Well, then what are we waiting for?"

The three of them entered the restaurant. A person led them to a table off to the side and handed them menus. They spent some time looking over the options and choosing what they wanted, then placed their orders. At Renaldo's insistence they all ordered the fried reekfish.

As they waited for their food, they talked about getting Tali moved in. "Are you both wanting to live here?" Renaldo asked.

Link shook his head. "No, I'm planning on traveling the country. I came here to make sure Tali got settled in." It wasn't completely true, but Link didn't want to admit he had no idea what he was going to do. Besides, it would be interesting to see what Hyrule was like outside of Ordon.

Renaldo nodded his head. "Okay. Might I ask why you wish to live here?"

Tali bit her lip. "Um, well, something happened to me back home, and I wound up in Ordon Village because of it. I really can't go back home, and the villagers in Ordon kicked me out."

Renaldo raised an eyebrow. "You got kicked out?"

Link looked at Tali. She was looking down, refusing to look at anyone else. "Tali," Link said softly. "You need to tell him why."

Tali sighed and said with a trembling voice "Someone horrible did something to me back home, and now I'm a freak with a freakish magic power."

Renaldo glanced at Link. Link knew it was hard for her to talk about what happened. He looked at Renaldo with a gaze that said "That's enough."

Renaldo nodded, getting the message. "The people of Ordon are known for being incredibly intolerant of magic. The Twilight incident may have been a long, long time ago, but it scarred the people of Ordon, and since then they have been terrified of any magic. We, however, are not.

"We'll find somewhere here for you to stay, and you can live a normal life here," Renaldo said.

"Thank you," Tali said, finally looking up.

Renaldo hesitated for a moment before saying "However, if you would like to learn how to use your power, I would be more than happy to teach you."

Tali's eyes widened and she immediately started shaking her head. "No, I never want to use this, this curse ever!" she exclaimed.

Renaldo nodded. "It's okay, you don't have to, just know that the option is there."

The trio sat for a moment in silence before one of the waiters delivered their food. Renaldo thanked the waiter and smiled. "Now, let's focus on what truly matters: this delicious reekfish!" Renaldo immediately began eating. Link and Tali both followed his example. Link had to admit, despite having a name like reekfish, it was very tasty.

After eating Renaldo decided to show Link and Tali around town. It was home to people of all races of Hyrule: Hylians, humans, Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, and even some of the more reclusive Rito that rarely came down from the eastern mountains called Kakariko home. "Kakariko was originally home to the ancient Sheikah tribe, though the tribe now lives in their own little village closer to Hyrule Castle. You can see a lot of Sheikah markings on some of the older buildings," Renaldo explained. "There are some in the village who can read and speak the language."

Renaldo continued to show Link and Tali around when a shout came from somewhere screaming "Moblin!"

All of the villagers in the streets immediately bolted inside. Renaldo grabbed Link and Tali by the arms and dragged them into a nearby building, where the three of them looked out a nearby window. A large, red creature wandered down the streets. The thing had a single, massive horn protruding from its forehead. It's face was long, and it had a pig's snout. Link could see fangs in its mouth and sharp claws at the ends of its fingers. Its arms and legs were thick and muscular, and the monster carried a massive club that looked like it could easily knock down a tree. The creature had no issue carrying the club.

The moblin looked around the village, curious. Something caught its eye, and it ran over to whatever it saw. Link looked ahead and saw that the moblin was running up to a small child who had tripped and fallen.

Link didn't even pause to think about what he was doing. He pulled out his sword and bolted out the door before either Renaldo or Tali could process what he was doing. There was a barrel next to the entrance to the building Link exited. Link grabbed the lid and held it as a makeshift shield. He ran into the center of the road and called out to the moblin, getting its attention.

The moblin turned away from the child, who got up and ran inside as fast as he could. The moblin stared at Link, intrigued. Link held his sword up, which angered the red monster. The monster ran at Link, swinging its club wildly. As the moblin approached, Link ducked under the club and stabbed the creature in its stomach.

The moblin cried out in pain and staggered back. It looked angry, but more cautious. Link held his sword, ready to fight. The moblin swung at Link, who blocked the club with his makeshift shield. The shield almost immediately shattered, but it protected Link from the brunt of the attack. The moblin swung again, before Link had time to prepare, and knocked him down a few feet away.

Link grunted in pain. The moblin hit hard, and it was faster than Link expected. But Link wasn't done yet. He got up, ignoring the pain in his side, and readied himself for the moblin's next attack. The moblin swung towards Link's right side. Link rolled under the club and got close to the moblin. With the creature's massive club and large arms, it couldn't attack Link up close. Link took this opportunity to slash the moblin a couple of times, before plunging his blade into the creature's chest.

Link leapt back. The moblin looked down at the blade sticking out of its chest before collapsing. It began to turn purple before exploding into a cloud of purple dust. Link retrieved his sword, and the villagers all came running outside, praising Link for his skill and courage.

Renaldo and Tali made their ways through the crowd. "I saw that sword on you back," Renaldo said, "but I didn't think you were a seasoned warrior."

"I'm not," Link said. "This is the second battle I've been in."

Renaldo was speechless. "But, the skill you displayed, surely you've received intensive training?"

Link shook his head. "My uncle taught me a little when I was five, but I haven't really had anything more formal than that. I just did what felt natural."

A group of soldier approached. The crowd immediately parted for them. One of them, the captain, as designated by the emblem on his shield, came up to Renaldo. "What's going on? We came as soon as we heard the cry, but there's no moblin in sight. What happened?"

Renaldo turned to the captain and said "This young man took care of it."

The captain turned to Link and said "Really? Well done, soldier."

Link shook his head. "I'm not a soldier."

The captain was about to question Link further when a young boy, probably around fifteen years of age, came running up to Renaldo. "Renaldo, sir, bad news! Very bad news!"

Renaldo nodded to the boy, signaling him to continue. "That moblin wasn't alone. There's an entire army of monsters, and they're heading here right now!"

"What?" Renaldo exclaimed. He cleared his voice and shouted "Everyone, gather up and listen!"

The villagers all got quiet and turned to Renaldo. "I have grave news. Our lookouts have reported that there is an army of monsters, all heading this way as we speak!"

Renaldo turned to the boy. "How far off are they?"

"A day, at most. I think that moblin was a scout," the boy replied.

Renaldo turned back to the villagers. "We have no more than a day. I need every man able to fight to gather together and follow the captain's orders!"

Renaldo then turned to the captain. "I need you to get as many people ready to fight as possible, and as quickly as you can."

"Yes, sir," the captain replied.

Renaldo then turned to Link and Tali. "Link, I hate to ask this of you, but you have shown more skill with the blade than any I have ever met. Will you help us defend our village?"

Link nodded. "Thank you," Renaldo said. "Monsters don't get into armies naturally. Someone, or something, must have gathered them together."

"What can I do?" Tali asked. Renaldo looked at her.

"Stay with me," Renaldo said.

"What? No, I want to help!" Tali said.

"It's too dangerous. I can tell you're no warrior."

"I can't just sit by and do nothing!"

"Tali," Link interrupted. Tali stopped and looked at Link. "Renaldo's right. You're not a warrior, even less so than I am. Stay with Renaldo. You can help by protecting the children and the elderly."

Link could see Tali wasn't happy, but she agreed.

"Good," Renaldo said. "Now Link, please go with the captain. Tell him I sent you specifically to help. He'll help you get a proper shield and some armor to protect yourself."

Link nodded. Renaldo told him how to get to the barracks, and Link went there immediately.

* * *

AN: I just recently got Breath of the Wild, so expect less frequent updates. Sorry, but that game is so much fun!

On another note, I mentioned the Sheikah having their own language, and I want to use it a bit in the story. Not a lot, but I'd like some people to only know that language, and have some ancient markings in that language. The thing is, the only other language I know well enough to comfortably type in is Spanish. I have no issues using Spanish, but I want to ask: would that upset anyone if some Spanish was included? It won't be a ton, and Link won't understand any of it anyway, so if any of you don't know it you won't be losing anything, and if any of you do know it then consider it like bonus content or something. Let me know either in a review or a PM (preferably a review, since PM's can sometimes be a hassle).

Last note: I want to clarify something: the Link chapters and the Ghirahim chapters aren't happening at the same time. They started out at about the same time, but the Link chapters are a little bit ahead of the Ghirahim chapters. Like, maybe by a week or two, so not too much, but this'll be important in the next chapter, which will introduce our final general. After the next chapter not only will the Ghirahim and Link chapters be at the same point, but the Ghirahim chapters will be less frequent.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

One more. Just one more general, then Ghirahim could finally begin his siege on Hyrule. He already had the attacks planned out. Each general would start in either the east, west, or south of the land, destroying every village in their wake until they all converged at Hyrule Castle in the center. Ghirahim himself would start in the north. They would completely annihilate everything in Hyrule. The thought of the death and destruction that would soon come almost made the Demon Lord giddy.

Despite having been sealed away for thousands of thousands of years, Nocturne proved to be quite knowledgeable about what had occurred during all that time. Nocturne knew of a story about a certain man, known for his beauty. The man used his beauty to lure people in, and eat them. As time passed, his legs and lower torso dissolved into a type of sludge, hindering his movement. He made up for this by studying magic, and became quite proficient at it. He could temporarily gain the powers of those he consumed, he mastered fire magic, and he forged a powerful bow capable of descending a flurry of magic arrows down on his foes. He also found an enchanted scythe capable of tearing holes in the fabric of reality, granting teleportation. Ghirahim figured that sounded like a good person to lead a small army.

The man, who legends named Nerovich the Gluttonous, was sealed away a very, very long time ago. Seemed to be a common theme in Hyrule: if you can't beat them, seal them. Nerovich was sealed by a village that lay near the eastern border of Hyrule, and Ghirahim doubted he was far from the village.

Ghirahim traveled to the village, and from there managed to get a general idea of where Nerovich was sealed. Ghirahim traveled the area, and eventually found the place. It wasn't easy to find, but it was much easier than finding Kaaldviing. The area in question was a temple protected by a powerful magical barrier. Between the barrier and the inconvenient location, on top of a mountain, Nerovich had been left completely alone since his sealing. At least, until today.

Ghirahim thrust his sword into the barrier. The barrier shattered and dissipated, leaving the entrance to the temple open. Ghirahim walked inside. It smelled absolutely horrendous. Far worse than the smell of decay that permeated Kaaldviing's cave. Ghirahim actually enjoyed the smell of death and decay, but the smell that permeated that temple was pure punishment to the Demon Lord's nose.

Ghirahim ignored the foul stench, though he resolved to make sure the temple was destroyed later on. Maybe he could have Nerovich "prove himself" by destroying it and, hopefully, the odor.

There was a large stone coffin covered in mystic runes not too far into the temple. Ghirahim merely tapped his sword to the coffin, which was enough to dispel the runes. The Demon Lord then removed the lid and looked inside. He was disappointed.

The coffin contained a massive pile of sludge with various bones protruding from it. Ghirahim backed up, disappointed. Sludge was definitely not a viable option for leadership. The pile of sludge began moving. It slowly worked its way out of the coffin, seemingly dazed and confused.

After a few minutes of moving around part of the sludge began to rise and form into the figure of a man. It took several minutes, during which Ghirahim waited impatiently, but after the figure finally formed Ghirahim was able to get a good look at it. It wore a golden mask that covered its eyes and nose, but Ghirahim could see the mouth. The figure also had long white hair that cascaded down its back. It wore an elegant purple robe to cover its torso and had golden bracelets on each arm.

The mouth curved into a smile. "I shall enjoy eating you," it said. The voice was that of a young man and sounded simply beautiful.

The voice didn't faze Ghirahim one bit. "You can try, but you'd be dead before you got a chance," the Demon Lord replied.

"Oh?" the creature said. "Do you not know who I am?"

"I'm guessing you're Nerovich the Gluttonous," Ghirahim replied. "And I don't care how powerful you think you are, you are nothing compared to me."

Ghirahim held up his sword. "This blade was made for one purpose: to dominate. It will damage you regardless of any magics you have protecting yourself."

Nerovich didn't make a move, though the smile remained. "Very well," he said. "Then why am I here?"

"I'm building an army," Ghirahim said. "And I need generals to lead it."

Nerovich thought for a moment. "And why should I agree to serve you?"

"I can give you revenge on the village that trapped you here."

Nerovich's smile disappeared. Ghirahim could feel the rage coming from the sludge creature. "I want to torture the descendants of the fools who put me in here," Nerovich said, his voice almost a whisper. Ghirahim could hear the raw malice and hatred in his voice. "But I need more than that before I agree to lead an army. I want the Royal Family."

"Why?" Ghirahim demanded. The Demon Lord planned on killing them himself, as slowly and painfully as he could.

"Because I want to taste their powerful blood," Nerovich replied.

Ghirahim thought for a moment. He knew that the Goddess Hylia manifested herself in the form of the princesses of the kingdom. Ghirahim desperately wanted to kill the manifestation of that particular goddess, but the rest didn't really mean anything to him. "I will kill the princess myself, but the rest of the family is yours," Ghirahim stated.

Nerovich nodded. "Very well. I agree to serve you. Well, for now, at least."

"Not so fast," Ghirahim said. "First I need to see your strength. Destroy this temple as quickly as you can."

Nerovich smiled. Ghirahim teleported himself a short distance down the mountain, close enough to be able to see what was going on, yet far enough away that he wouldn't be caught in any crossfire. As Ghirahim watched a large pillar of fire erupted from the center of the temple. The fire grew and increased until it completely consumed the building. The heat was so intense that Ghirahim could feel it, even from down the mountain. Ghirahim heard a loud thud next to him and turned. Nerovich stood there, holding a large, ornate bow. The weapon was black in color with several jewels attached to it. Nerovich pulled back on the string and released. A bolt of red energy shot from the bow into the air. The bolt shattered into thousands of smaller bolts, all of which descended upon the temple. Ghirahim heard the cracking of stone as the bolts struck the building.

After the last bolt struck, Nerovich snapped his fingers. The fire that surrounded the temple exploded, sending bits of debris flying everywhere. After the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Ghirahim looked and saw almost no remains of the temple, save a couple bricks here and there.

Ghirahim turned to Nerovich and said "Very well. Wait at the bottom of the mountain. As soon as I send your part of the army there, you may begin by attacking the village that sealed you away. From there, make your way to Hyrule Castle, destroying everything in your path. Understood?"

Nerovich smiled. "Excellent."

Three down. Ghirahim's army was ready, and soon all of Hyrule would know his wrath.


End file.
